Portland’s Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis this week pulled over a driver he saw speeding as he drove home on southbound Interstate 5 near Barbur Boulevard.
Davis said he cited the motorist for going 91 mph -- 36 mph over the 55 mph speed limit -- just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
The stop was just one example of what Portland police say has been an uptick in drivers speeding during the governor’s “stay home” order amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While officers have noticed fewer traffic crashes since schools closed as March 15, they’re concerned about the dangerous trend of drivers going 20 to 30 mph or more above the limit, Chief Jami Resch said Friday.
In the week ending March 22, police issued 92 citations for people traveling 21 to 30 mph above the speed limit, compared to 67 the prior week. Those driving more than 30 mph above the speed limit also increased during that time period.
Just because there’s less traffic now doesn’t mean speeding is any safer, the chief said.
“Traffic laws are still in place and they will be enforced by our officers,’’ Resch said. “Please, please, please slow down and obey all of our traffic laws.’’
Shuttered schools and businesses due to the pandemic also have led to other policing concerns.
Calls reporting child abuse have dropped drastically in the city and officers are unable to enter nursing home or care centers, where they typically would investigate reported elder abuse crimes.
Before March 19, the Police Bureau averaged 40 to 50 reports of alleged child abuse a day, according to Sgt. Davis Kile of the bureau’s child abuse team. Since then, the bureau is averaging about 10 reports a day, he said.
Police suspect the calls have dropped because teachers, child care workers and others who often report the abuse don’t have as much access to children now that schools are closed and families are staying home.
“We believe the child abuse is still taking place,’’ Kile said, “that’s why we depend on community members to make those reports.’’
The child abuse hotline is still operating, and the team’s 10 detectives and one officer are still working though staggering their schedules.
Sgt. Martin Padilla, of the bureau's Special Victims Unit, said his officers are no longer entering senior care homes to avoid spreading the virus to vulnerable adults.
Sgt. Martin Padilla of the Special Victims Unit said his officers are no longer entering senior care homes to avoid spreading the virus to vulnerable adults. Instead, they’re trying to catch up on cases already opened, trying to glean information by phone and maintaining contact with Multnomah County and state aging service officials.
Advocates who work with survivors of domestic violence aren’t in the office but are still available to connect with victims by phone, Padilla said. In limited cases, they might check up on victims by driving to their homes and calling them and speaking to them from their police cars or the sidewalk outside.
The latest Portland police hires who had hoped to head to the state police academy that’s shut down are helping deliver food boxes to households through the nonprofit Sunshine Division instead. Starting Monday, the Sunshine Division will start delivering 1,000 food boxes a week – about 200 a day – to individual households for at least 10 weeks, instead of running its typical food pantry.
So far, no member of the Police Bureau has tested positive for the virus. Some have been tested and were negative, the chief said. The number of officers on sick leave is about average, she said. An incident command team of officers tracks sick leave absences daily.
Kyle Camberg, executive director of the Sunshine Division, said the nonprofit will start delivering 1,000 food boxes a week to individual households for at least 10 weeks, instead of running its typical food pantry. “One box a week per household; there’s no paperwork. This is not the DMV. If you need some food…no questions.’’
In mid-March, five Portland officers and two civilian employees returned from a police recruiting trip to New York City.
None of those employees have developed any symptoms, according to Lt. Tina Jones, bureau spokeswoman. The day they arrived in New York, the career fairs they had planned to attend were canceled so they didn’t interact with any groups of people at career fairs.
“Like all of our employees, they have been social distancing, monitoring themselves for symptoms,’’ Jones said. Those who can are working from home.
Although the career fairs were canceled, the recruiters’ New York trip met with students at different schools and resulted in more than 30 people applying for a job at Portland Police Bureau, she said.
To listen to the full question-and-answer conversation with Portland police officers, go here.
-- Maxine Bernstein
Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212
Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
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